Shattered Kingdoms

Petrification should probably be modified for the general health of the game. It can be scribed and is by far the most frequent producer of one-shot PKs. For some characters, there just isn't a tactic to prevent it from being successfully cast other than "recall as soon as the sorc starts casting." Fortitude in excess of 25 before bless will prevent it from landing with reasonable reliability, but less than 20 and you're probably pretty boned.

My initial thoughts for a replacement for the current spell would turn it into a properly massive debuff instead of an insta-kill. I'm thinking something in the realms of -10 dex along with a movement speed debuff and a chance to fail to move or attack similar to paralysis, with an initial save tied to fort and then another fort save to move/attack upon each instance of that. It could be removed with cancellation. This would be a truly debilitating spell but would definitely allow someone time to escape with recall or other means, and would ultimately not be any more debilitating than the Ain religion spell already is (that spell doesn't even include an initial save).

To compensate for the huge nerf to the class (which this would clearly be), depetrification would need replacing. It wouldn't have a role in a statue-less game. I don't have good initial thoughts but something transportation themed such as mass teleport would be sweet. Another idea that I've seen in other games would be a spell that creates a token that acts like a portal stone for the purposes of gating places.

I would be in favor of changes to both petrification and depetrification, if for no other reason than to entice people into playing non-MR melee builds again. It is nearly impossible to form groups for PvE now because there's almost no tanks left. They get the short of the end of the stick having to deal with all the drawbacks of being front row (prone) and equipment changes that make it much harder to make saving throws.

The last several weeks has consisted of sitting around and waiting for the one or two tanks capable of handling the Grey Wastes. When they aren't around, there is no PvE.

My vote for replacement spell of depetrification...

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Spell duration is only as long as it is held, it isn't a cast and then it lasts for so long. Very high concentration (as in the only spell they can hold probably [unless delf?]). Huge mana drain, maybe even true sight style ME drain.

Is this crazy powerful? Yeah. Do I expect it to happen? No not really. Do I love this idea? Yes. Talk about making sorcerers the most wanted class in PvE.

I think it's inconsistent that charm person was dubbed 'omg instakill OP' and is now the only thing that can't be scribed, while petrification and finger of death, 'the other white meat' instakills, are perfectly easy to scribe- and scrolls of these things are the most terrifying thing in the entire game.

These scrolls offer even the most prepared player (aside from MR barbs and prepared Hammer) a risk of being instantly wiped out with no warning. They don't even give me the chance to see that a sorc is concentrating, and retreat away to avoid getting shat on.

Does that mean I'm recommending that these spells become unscribable?

I don't know. I thought that was a weird way to 'fix' charm person, when you did it, and gave us no explanation as to why all spells could be scribed, but that one.

The notion of 'balancing' this game is silly while summon and voodoo exist. Mostly unwritten player consensus about not 'being lame' with summon and voodoo have come faster than waiting for recognition from a staff that does not play SK competitively. The most practical solution seems to be for instant death scrolls to just enter into the 'lame' tabboo of the current players.

TBH, i-win spells will never be changed/removed. This thread comes up about every couple years and the same result happens. I really, really want spells like petrification to be changed/removed but that isn't going to happen.

We need at least one more energy gladius before a change like this happens. Can we also have an energy bullwhip, please? Its sad that such a cool weapon goes neglected like this.

Not long ago I thought you said we were swimming in gear with saves. The simple solution is to reduce the applicable art to 10 and add more gear with saves. Giving sorcs interdiction seems like a huge buff to the most powerful class.

Finger of death is nowhere near as dangerous as petrification because it bases the damage off of the target's current HP and that damage is dealt before mitigation from things like sanctuary, protection, the shield spell and MP. I'm pretty sure that a naked elf with sanctuary will survive a failed finger of death save cast by a GM.

Petrification is definitely the worst offender in the "harmful to the game" spells list. I like the spell, but at minimum it should behave differently for PCs as opposed to NPCs.

I agree, petrification is a great PVE spell but in PVP right now at least it's almost an "I win" spell, whether scribed or cast.

Never a fan of one hit kill spells/skills. Takes the fun out of fights, well if any fight last longer than 4 rounds anyways.